Accent Discrimination on the Job Essay

The topic scenario that I chose was on accent discrimination. In this scenario an employee named Maria has had her job threatened due to tardiness, attendance, and language problems. Specifically her rapid speech patterns and heavy accent had lead to communication issues within her workplace. This topic is important for the study of cultural diversity because many people who move to the United States have accents. I would like to discover whether language issues such as having an accent are sufficient grounds for termination. To me this would seem to be an act of discrimination that conflicts with the Civil Rights Act (L.A. NOW, 2012). Therefore I would need to check the language of the bill to see if Maria’s case applies. I plan to research the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2002; EEOC Press Release, 2011) as well as publications on workplace fairness and discrimination from government websites. Pertinent cases to explore would be other language discrimination suits, especially any filed against Employers for wrongful termination due to an accent. However situations could exist where the ability to be understood in plain English would be imperative to one’s employment, depending on the necessary responsibilities of a particular job. Any other cases where a precedent has already been set would be helpful to establish discrimination in Maria’s situation or possible wrongful termination (Workplace Fairness, 2009). References EEOC Press Release. (2011). Employees Fired For Speaking Spanish On The Job, Saying ‘Good Morning’ in Native Language. Retrieved from www.eeoc.gov. L.A. NOW. (2012). State Senate approves bill banning language discrimination. Retrieved from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/english-only.html The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2002). Language uses: Accent discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/national-origin.html Workplace Fairness. (2009). Language discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.workplacefairness.org/language

Driving License Essay

The childhood is the stage when all our fantasies start to grow. That was the stage when a fantasy about motor bike grew up into my mind and I got interested in driving bike. As my fantasy supported me I started to fulfill my interest and started to learn driving. At that time my uncle who was experienced in this line; he started to teach me driving. After a few months my fantasies boosted up because I was learning a bit how to drive. After learning driving for about two years, my parents came to know the matter and thought that I was in a stage to have a driving license, since they heard that I was harassed in the roads many times by the police for not having a driving license while driving. As a result, my parents gave me the permission to have a driving license. So, I found out that there is an association responsible to delivering the driver’s license in Bangladesh, which is the Bangladesh Roads and Transport Association (BRTA). I went there to get the license, but later o n I came to know that there are many problems which I have to face while getting the driving license. I took it as a challenge to overcome those problems and get the license in a legal way; since I was able to become a good driver within that time. The other point that made me interest to take this topic was the sudden death of two of my closest friend in the road accident, which was as a shock in my life. Why only the accident of my two friends, there were 3,917 highway accidents in the year 2012 (â€Å"Ensure safety†). Many people argued that the road accidents occur because of the bad condition of the road, but most of the highways in Bangladesh are now treated as of standard quality highways. There are also some other people arguing that the road accidents occurs because of the unfit vehicles running on the road; but still a majority portion of the people agrees with me that most of the road accidents occur because of the inexperienced driver’s. Then a question came up in my mind that â€Å"Why are the drivers inexperienced?† I was able to solve  this question and came up with the answer that since the driver’s are getting the license in an illegal way, so they are becoming inexperienced and be coming the cause of the accidents. Later on another question came up in my mind, â€Å"Why the driver’s are getting the license in an illegal way, since there is a way to get the license in a legal way?† It was tough for me to solve this question, but when I went to BRTA to get my own driving license I found out that every person who goes there are harassed a lot, only if they wants to get the license in a legal way. Still, if someone wants to get the driving license in a legal way then he is forced to give bribes during the procedure. Then, my interest grew to find out the hazardous experience of the people while getting the driving license. We all know that bribe plays a vital role in the Bangladesh society. So, it makes two ways to get the license; legal way and illegal way. In the legal way one has to pass the test required to get the license. There are mainly one written test and three practical tests. If someone even passes the test successfully, the officials over there will not make them pass until they get the money. During the process, if someone denies giving bribe, he will have to wait for at least 6 months to get the license. But, in the illegal way, just give the bribe and sit back in your home, the brokers will process the license and will give it after 3 months. The rate that they have fixed to get the license in an illegal way is Tk. 5,000/= per license. Sometimes we will find many people around us, who are not ready to pay any illegal fees. So, first they prepare themselves to get the license in the legal way. But, after passing the written test when they go to give the practical test and sees that every thing is on the examiners hand, they gets scarred. Most of the time if someone passes the exam but refuses to give the minimum amount of money, then the examiner harasses the person and in a sense force him to fail. Then, those people who went there in an intention to get the license in a legal way loose their faith on them and agree to get the license in an illegal way. Background â€Å"Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is the only association in Bangladesh who is responsible for the promotion of road safety and traffic regulations, by delivering the license of the drivers and also by registering the vehicles in Bangladesh. BRTA was first institutionalized in 1987 and started its function from January 1988. BRTA is the regulatory body for the control and management of the road transport system and road safety related activities of the Republic of Bangladesh. BRTA maintains its function with total manpower of 291 through the head office in Dhaka, 19 circle and 20 zonal Offices spread all over the country† (Brta). All the zonal offices can deliver driving license, but to get the license one have to pass one written test, one oral test and three practical tests. First of all one have to fill a form, requesting for getting a driving license, giving the adequate information about him, regarding his name, father’s name, age, sex, address, blood group, etc. After submitting the form one would get the â€Å"Learner’s License†. It will cost one Tk. 750. Actually getting the learner’s license means that one has got the permission to learn the driving. After getting the learner’s license one would get 3 months of duration to prepare himself. According to that date and time mentioned in the Learner’s License, one has to go and attend the written and oral test. The written and oral tests don’t take place except Thursday. The result will be published on that day and after that they will give a seal in the learner’s license and also provide the date and time of the practical exams. The entire practical exam will be held on one single day. The first practical exam is known as the â€Å"Zig-Zag† test. The model is given below: In this test one have to go with his car from A side to B side and again come back with his car in the reverse gear from side B to side A, without moving or touching the flags that will be there at each points of the line. The width on the two lines will be 1.5 times the wide of the car. If someone touches the flags, he will fail the exam. In that case, he have to resubmit the fees and appear the test again after getting the date and time approved by the BRTA. The second test in known as the â€Å"Ramp† test. The model is given below: In this test, one has to go driving the car on the slope. The examiner will be sitting beside him. While going up the slope the examiner will tell him to stop the car and the person have to stop the car at the slope. The examiner will again tell the person go to up the slope without letting the car go back. This is the hardest part of getting the license. Most of the people fail in this stage because while moving the car front, the car’s weight forces the car to go down the slope. Since, many people fail in this test, so the examiner tries to take the advantage of the bribe over here. The examiner tells that if he gets money, then he will make the person pass, or else he will fail him. The third test is called the â€Å"Road Test†. During this test the examiner will be sitting beside the person and will be told to drive the car in the busy roads. This test is mainly taken to check whether the person knows the rules and regulation of the traffic system and also to drive safely. The examiner might say suddenly to park the car in the no parking zone. If one stops the car there that means that he doesn’t knows the rules and regulation and thus, he is going to fail in the exam. If one passes the entire exam then only he is capable of getting the driving license in a legal way. But, the present situation of the BRTA supports that; one must have to give bribe to pass the exams. Many people think that just passing those exams doesn’t makes one an experienced driver. In that case, they concluded that knowing the driving is the main thing, it doesn’t matter that whether you got the license in a legal or illegal way. But, a majority of the people says that, if someone knows how to drive well then he will also be able to pass the exams of BRTA without giving the bribe and thus can get a license in a legal way. Hypothesis Since, the driving license is being delivered by a Government institution people are to follow a lot of procedures in getting the driving license.  From my research, I expect to find that the corruption in delivering license illegally and problems are faced by the driving license owners. I will try to find out the reasons why car owner’s doesn’t want to hire a driver who has an illegal license. I think that a person who is well-educated knows that there are many problems that the other drivers have to face if he hires that drivers, this is the most important reason why they don’t want to hire illegal license owner. From my opinion our license delivering system should be stricter. Limitations of the Study: There are some limitations of my research paper. They are pointed out below: In my survey, I was unable to target those students who don’t have a driving license, because if they don’t have a driving license, how they are going to have an experience in getting the driving license. I had to stay between the age boundaries of 19-22. As my research topic states, my target group is the NSU students and most of them are from the age of 19-22. The major limitation of my research is that I was able to target especially those who had the driving license to drive the private cars only. The driving license is delivered actually for three categories of vehicles- light, medium and heavy. One who has got the license for the first (light) category will be able to apply for the second category (medium) after three years. To get the license of the heavy category one has to get another three years experience of driving the medium vehicles (Hossain). Since, my age boundary is from 19-22. So, most of them have the license of the light category, which gives them the permission to drive only the private cars. I am not able to get any information from the officials of the BRTA, because they aren’t ready to talk with me about their situation, which is also another major limitation of my research paper. I think that they could have unveiled a lot of information, which could be of great use in my research paper. The last and also the most important limitations of my research paper is the time factor and the present situation of our country. I am not getting enough time to do my research thoroughly on this topic. Research I have used the BRTA’s website; some posted articles in the Internet and the newspaper as my secondary sources, which were being used throughout the paper.  For my primary research I have prepared a questionnaire and also have interviewed two people how have got bad experience in getting the driving license. The first person whom I interviewed is a regular student of NSU and the other person is a professional driver. Their interview helped me a lot in my research paper. The questionnaire that I have prepared consists of 13 questions. I have given 40 people to fill up my questionnaire. From Figure 1, we can see that 8 of them, which make 32% of my sample size, claimed that they have owned the license in a legal way. From the rest of the students, 13 (52%) of them said that they got the driving license in an illegal way and the rest 4 (16%) claimed that they have got the driving license through a driving school. But still, one student who have got the license through a driving school, said that he have passed all the exams of the BRTA to get the license, but for the rest three people, who are all female, said that they have got the driving license without appearing the tests. They made an agreement with the driving school, which states that after they have learned how to drive, the driving school will be responsible to deliver them the driving license and in exchange they will be giving a certain amount of money. So, after that I can see that only one person from the driving school have got the license in a legal way. From the rest of my sample, only 8 (32%) of them ; who got the driving license in a legal way, have said that they have appeared and passed all the exams, without considering the case that they have failed in the exam and passed it again by giving bribe. Actually the people; especially the brokers, won’t let one pass the exam without giving the bribe. So, in a way those people who have been learning to drive for last 6 months and want to get the license in a legal way are forced to give bribe. From Figure 2, we can see that 6 (67%) of the NSU students; who have got the license in a legal way, agreed with this statement, and told that they have been forced during the exams to give bribe, since everything is on the examiners hand, if he likes to pass one, he will make him pass, but if he wants to fail one, then that person will be harassed a lot until he fails. But, still 3 of the students were luck enough to contradict with me and claimed themselves to pass all the exams without giving the bribes. They also stated that they weren’t even forced during the exams to give bribes. The students who have got the license in an illegal way is not considered in this case because at the beginning when they decided to get the license, they took the illegal way to get the license, so they have given the bribe in the beginning and they don’t need to or forced to give the bribe again during the exams. Since, the students have faced a bit of the hazardous experience, so I asked them again whether that was the ending of the harassment process or not. But, many of them answered no and said that getting the license was the starting of a new harassment process. They were then caught by the police and harassed without any reason. In most of the times police claimed that the licenses are illegal. Then the students have to come out from there by giving bribe, it doesn’t matter that whether you really got the license in a legal or illegal way. In some exceptional case I have found out that the police also said that the picture that they have in the driving license doesn’t matches with the students. I was really shocked to hear that how the police can claim those type of fake reasons to harass a people. I also came to know that a student was saying that he was in a hurry, because his mother was admitted in the hospital, but still the police didn’t tried to hear that and filed a case against him, fining him for driving faster. After all the claims that the police stated, I asked them â€Å"What do you think about BRTA?† One can’t imagine about the response that I have got from this answer. I gave them five options. Within those the first option that I gave them was â€Å"They are all corrupted†. After, reading this option, most of them didn’t go to read the other options. From the figure 3, it is clearly stated that 20 of the students; which means 80%, thinks that BRTA is corrupted and  we can’t do anything about it except going with the system. Within those 13 students, 7 of the students have faced the problems face to face by getting the license in a legal way and 13 of them knew earlier that BRTA is corrupted, so they have got the license in an illegal way. The other 2 of the students told that the existing system should be developed, which means that BRTA should not be privatized, since the corruption level hasn’t gone beyond the limit. But, the rest 3 of the student’s answer was quiet interesting; they all have got the license in an illegal, and think that BRTA’s corruption level has gone beyond our limit and that is the reason it should be privatized. None of the students told that the system is all right and they are operating in the way they should operate, which is quiet interesting. Summary of Findings From my primary research I was able to find out that the harassment process of getting the driving license doesn’t ends also after getting the driving license. The exam pattern is set in a way that will make the people harass. Most of them who have seen the exam pattern with their own eyes think that the existing exam pattern should be updated a bit, because it is designed in a way that will force the people to give bribe. One by knowing the BRTA’s license delivering system doesn’t likes to get the license in a legal way, because they know that they have to give the bribe by hook or by crook. So, most of them are targeting to get the license in an illegal way. It was found out that 80% of the driving license delivered by the BRTA is forged. (Hossain). So, it is clear that because of the harassment that the BRTA does to the people, many people try to get the license in an illegal way. That is also the reason why most of the people think that BRTA is corrupted. In a recent newspaper article is was being posted that because of the corruption level in BRTA, every year Bangladesh Government is loosing 100 crore taka, which also can be the reason why people and I personally think that BRTA should be privatized (Mehedi). Suggestions Regarding all the problems that BRTA has, I think that there is a scope for the government to play role. Government should implement new rules and establish a new driving license delivering exams, which will be able to solve the harassment problem of the normal people a bit. Those policies obviously should not be designed in such a way that there will be scope to get or give bribe. It should be designed in a way that will examine those people who are getting the license are eligible and also quiet well qualified to get the license. Thus, it will obviously help to decrease the road accidents in Bangladesh. Every time we can see that the Government is coming up with new laws and policies, but they are not implemented in a nice way. If that happens, it is better to privatize the BRTA, without updating the existing system. Now days, we are also able to find out that many female are driving their own cars. It becomes more hazardous for them to get the license in a legal way. So, they are going to the driving schools to learn driving. In my survey, I have find out that almost all the female have got their driving license through the driving school and also in an illegal way. The driving learning school should also be developed, because they are the ones responsible for teaching the people to drive well. If they gets corrupted and gives the driving license to those peoples who doesn’t deserves it then the problem will be huge. Conclusion For us, those who have the adequate amount of money, getting the driving license is not a matter of fact for them and thus they may also disagree that getting the driving license is a harassment process. But, consider about those people who think thousand times before spending Tk. 100. For a professional driver, it really becomes hard for the first time to get the driving license. After doing this research I was really satisfied a bit that I was able to fulfill a bit of my childhood interest and also able to find out a valid  reason for my friends death. But still, I personally think that there should be another research done on the unfit vehicles running on the road, which can also be held responsible for the increase in the road accidents in our country. Works Cited Brta. Home page. 01 Jan. 2004. 30 July 2005 . â€Å"Ensure Safety basic rights of the People.† Nation. Ittefaq.com 11 June 2005. 01 July 2005 . Hossain, Moazzem. â€Å"Roads, Highways turn into Virtual Death Trap.† Newagebd.com 21 May 2005. 01 July 2005 < http://www.newagebd.com/2005/may/21/front.html>. Islam, Nurul. Telephone interview. 20 July 2005. Karim, Raihan Bin. Telephone interview. 20 July 2005. Mehedi, Rashed. â€Å"Corruption in BRTA, Government loosing 100 crore taka every year.† Daily Janokhantho 24 July 2005: 1.

Rwanda Genocide Before, During and After Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rwanda Genocide Before, During and After - Essay Example The Tutsi were also ruled by a King or Mwami and are thought to have first migrated into the area around the 14th century via a slow invasion that was mostly peaceful. The Tutsi owned lots of cattle and were advanced combatants and used these to achieve economic, political, and social control over the Hutu people. Over time ownership of land was taken from the Hutu and became the property of the Tutsi Mwami. The economic relations between the Hutu-Tutsi took the form of a trade by barter contract called the ubuhake. Both tribes could for example exchange Tutsi cattle for personal and military service. These evolved though as the ubuhake became a feudal-type class system with power resting firmly in the hands of the Tutsi minority. Rwanda was governed by various colonial powers including Germany and Belgium. Under the Belgians the political power of the Mwami was eroded, the ubuhake system was modified and the payments of tribute were abrogated. After several years, Rwandans were subsequently integrated into the political system after the United Nations (UN) was formed. The integration was meant to produce far-reaching socio-economic reforms, which would lead to political progress and social stability. However, this program allowed the Tutsi minority gain political, economic and social domination over the Hutu majority and was a contributing factor that led to civil unease in the country. After years of escalating conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi, the Belgian administrators with the support of the UN General Assembly, granted recognition to the republican Rwandan (and Burundi) State in order to avoid more social unrest. On June 27, 1962, the General Assembly voted to terminate the Belgian Trusteeship Agreem ent, paving the way days later for Rwanda to attain independence. Post-Independence The new Rwandan nations first President was Gregoire Kayibanda, a Hutu leader. Rwanda introduced its own national unit of currency, the Rwanda franc. On November 7, a political system with multi-parties was legalized. Ethnic violence broke out in February 1993 causing hundreds of fatalities amongst both Hutus and Tutsis. On April 6, 1994, President Habyarimana and the President of Burundi were murdered when the airplane carrying both men was shot down in Kigali. This led the rounding up and eventual murder of Tutsis. After the genocide, the government of Rwanda began reconstruction and reconciliation processes. A grassroots village-level justice system, known as gacaca was put in place, to address the enormous backlog of cases. By the end of 2006, 818,000 genocide suspects had been identified by the gacaca courts. Victims of genocide were over 1 million people. The Economy Rwanda's major exports are coffee, tea, tin cassiterite, wolfframite, and pyrethrum. Agriculture contributes more than 40% of the nation's GDP. Principal food crops include bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava, sorghum and beans. Till date the majority of Rwandans are subsistence farmers who still live in the rural parts of the country. Intense demographic pressure, the shortage of arable land, and lack of access to the Indian Ocean have been three critical problems in Rwanda's economic development. It is a fact that Rwanda has one of the lowest urbanization rates in Africa. Since independence, the ruling party has allocated government positions primarily on a controversial ethnocentric patronage

Walter williams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Walter williams - Essay Example If compensations were to be made, then apology becomes meaningless since it becomes a two-way business in which first the slave owners and sellers benefited and now the descendants of the slaves are benefiting. Apology means regret, not compensation. In this context, the disclaimer placed at the end of the resolution is justified. If the government does not pay, payment retrieved from any other community will raise substantial issues which will be graver than the need to compensate the descendants of the slaves. It is Williams’s fallacy that he has declared that the American government retrieves all the money it has from Americans. This is so untrue! The American government is not running on taxes paid by Americans alone. There are millions of Asians, Europeans, Arabs, and workers belonging to other nations who have not been granted the green card and yet they are earning in the USA and part of their payment goes to the American government. Besides, the American government is earning a lot of money by doing business with the Arabs in general and the KSA in particular. There are several other sources of income for the American

Behaviors of customers and Environment Influence on Marketing Essay

Behaviors of customers and Environment Influence on Marketing - Essay Example Attracting customers is an integral part of marketing, but retaining them is even more important. This can be achieved through several means including understanding the behavior of current and future customers and the environment. In addition, recognizing changes in the market environment allows the firms to capitalize on marketing opportunities or prepare for threats in the market. Understanding of the market environment requires the firms to be conversant with current market trends, technology developments and competitors’ strategies. Therefore, this paper seeks to analyze customers’ current and potential behaviors and the market environment, as well as they affect marketing strategies. In order to successfully market their products firms need to understand both the behavior of current and potential customers and the influence of the marketing environment. In understanding the current customers’ behavior, marketers are able to do an analysis of their buying trends. This also helps to recognize the prevailing needs of the customer and hence produce products that satisfy target customers’ needs. It is also very important to be aware of the consumer buying process so as to influence the choice of the consumer. In doing so, it is paramount to understand that the buying process consists of several stages, all of which are of great interest to marketers (Thomas, 1995, p.248).

Organizational structure and leaderships Term Paper

Organizational structure and leaderships - Term Paper Example Many companies have adapted a bureaucratic form of management whereby there are exaggerated numbers of management levels. Such forms of management are regarded as too bossy. A flat organizational structure in my organization therefore has fewer managers hence decisions are made in a promptly (Huffmire, 2006). In addition, employees are able to make autonomous pronouncement. According to DuBrin (2011), "A flat organizational structure acts less bureaucratically for two reasons. First, fewer available managers review the decisions of other workers. Second, a shorter chain of command means that managers and workers at lower levels can make decisions more independently" (p. 274). Decision making within my organization is decentralized as in any other institution with a flat organizational structure. Subsequently, decision making at the departmental level is also decentralized. A good example is at the Human Resource department. This means that employees at this department are able to make their own work related decisions without necessarily seeking authorization from the human resource manager as long as the decision lies within organizational objectives and plans of action. There are very few individuals with decision-making or administrative roles at the top level of hierarchy in a flat structure, and this helps improve efficiency in the decision making process as the employees do not have to seek authorization to make minor pronouncements from the top level managers. Due to the chain of command in a centralized system of leadership, making resolution may take a long time to accomplish (Huffmire, 2006). According to DuBrin (2011), a formal type of leadership is characterized by a centralized form of management. In other words, the manager or the individual with all the powers in decision making in an organization is at the top level in the hierarchy. In an informal leadership, on the other hand, the decision maker

Cont Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cont - Assignment Example Anthropology studies the origin and behavior of man. The study does not have any restrictions with regards to the time period, location or specific features that man can be analyzed. Anthropology studies man from its beginnings to all the manifestations and discrepancies that brought it to its present stature (Dash 2004). Culture is defined as â€Å"the integrated system of learned behavior patterns that are characteristics of the members of a society and that are not the result of biological inheritance† (Dash 2004). Several published texts have mentioned a number of cultural characteristics. Some of them are not agreeing on the exact number of the characteristics of culture. The number varies from 4 up to 6 or even more. These texts however agree on some of the characteristics. First of it would be that culture is learned. When a person is born, he enters a place already filled with culture. There are cultures that can trace its origin from centuries ago. Since birth until the last day of a person’s life, he tends to seek and define the new world that he is now a part of. The world is a confusing place as it is filled with numerous sensations that may have or may not have meaning yet it is influencing lives. There are also various ways of learning culture. The most common way is through communication (Samovar et al, 2009). Another characteristic is that the culture is shared. This even incorporates within its teachings the first characteristic. It is said that the key element of culture is that it should be shared by the people who belong to the same nation. This characteristic compliments the goal of the first which states that culture is learned. To communicate is to share and communicating is a form of teaching. When something is being taught, people learn what is being taught. These 2 characteristics go hand in hand in transmitting cultures from one generation to another

LAW OF TORT 2- DEFAMATION Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

LAW OF TORT 2- DEFAMATION - Coursework Example Here, the law of tort, negligence, and duty of care will be sufficiently explained. II. Law of Tort ‘Tort’ is the French word for a wrong. Torts are civil wrongs. Civil wrongs can be contrasted to criminal acts although one action might result in a potential liability for two claims, one civil and one criminal. If D assaults P, D is liable to be prosecuted for assault and criminal sanctions such as fines, community penalties or imprisonment might be applied by the criminal courts. But P can also sue D in the civil courts for trespass to the person and claim damages for the injury and loss he/she has suffered. Negligence is a tort. III. Negligence, Liability for Negligence, and Defences Against Negligence The case of â€Å"Donoghue –v- Stephenson† (2011), set out the basic principles of negligence in English law (pp. 1). The case concerned food poisoning suffered by Mrs Donoghue whose bottled ginger beer was contaminated with the remains of a decomposed snai l. As Mrs Donoghue didn’t buy the ginger beer (her friend did) she had no action in contract law (so she wasn’t a party to that contract). The case decided that, in English Law there must be and is a general conception of relations giving rise to a duty of care. The liability for negligence is based upon a general public sentiment of wrongdoing for which the offender pays. The case created the concept of negligence as an action in civil law allowing injured parties to sue wrongdoers for their loss and damage. To find a defendant liable for negligence any plaintiff will have to satisfy the court of the following: That the defendant must have owed the plaintiff a duty of care; That the defendant through an act or omission breached that duty; This breach caused loss to the defendant; The loss is not too ‘remote’; and That the defendant has no relevant defence. From what has been outlined above, the event organiser owes a duty of care to avoid acts or omission s which they might reasonably foresee could injure their neighbour. For an injured party to bring an action for negligence against a defendant they must show that the defendant breached that duty of care. The test of whether or not the duty of care is breached is an objective test – what level of care and skill was required by the activity carried out and has the defendant measured up to that level? It is important to realise that where there is an increased probability of harm from activities carried out by the defendant then there will be an increased burden on the defendant to discharge those activities safely and competently. There will be negligence when the defendant falls below the standard of care required in the circumstances to protect others from the unreasonable risk of harm. Common professional or industry practices and codes of conduct will often be used as a benchmark against which behaviour is tested – but they are not in themselves the final determinan t of negligence or a breach of the duty of care. In practical terms the event organiser needs to ensure that she/he does all things practical and reasonable to ensure that those working at events and attending events are safe. Implementing and conforming to industry guidelines, industry good practice and conforming to relevant legislation and regulations will go a long way to discharge this duty of care and facilitate a safe event.

Strategic HRM Planning Process Essay Example for Free

Strategic HRM Planning Process Essay I have gathered information over the last five weeks about department policies and best practices pertaining to ethical and diversity considerations. Based on these findings, the following proposal is presented to improve the strategic planning process. Diversity and ethics are buzzwords and are used frequently around the workplace. There are areas within both where making small changes could result in large benefits for the company’s HR strategic planning process. These considerations are important for the strategic plan because they encourage a positive company culture and decrease legal risks that could otherwise result in the demise of the company. Diversity As a restaurant and bar located in the middle of a military-base town, our personnel records indicate management has been hiring primarily a specific demographic type (women ages 18-30). Management has hired this demographic type over other demographic types more qualified. Even in an effort to appeal to specific customers, this bias can come off as discriminative and reflect negatively on the company. Two areas in need of consideration are appearance-based discrimination and age-based discrimination. ABC Restaurant Pub, unlike Hooters or certain other establishments, is not protected with a bona-fide occupational qualification defense (BFOQ). Even though our company has not been presented with a legal issue in this regard it does not mean we are not vulnerable. It is in the best interest of our strategic HRM planning process to implement a Diversity Awareness Training Program and redesign the hiring process to minimize this bias from occurring during hiring. Proposed Action The first step is to design a Diversity Awareness Training Program for managers that promotes a positive work environment. The training program explains the current equal employment laws and regulations and the benefits of a diverse workforce. Importantly, the training program helps reteach the managers how to recruit, hire, train, and promote based on qualifications and not strictly appearance or age. Each manager will receive the initial two-hour training and then attend an annual diversity-training refresher, thereafter. The second step is to redesign the hiring processes. Currently, the restaurant accepts both electronic and paper applications. However, I propose we only accept electronic applications. Paper applications allow the manager to place a face with a name, before the manager is able to read his or her qualifications. Whereas electronic applications allow the manager to read the facts (qualifications and experience) first. In addition to switching to electronic only applications, I recommend candidates to be interviewed by a three-person panel. Because the restaurant is limited in management, the panel interview should consist of at least one manager, and supervisors or head servers and ideally contain both men and women. Panel interviews minimize discrimination and favoritism. Benefits Legal Benefits: Compliance with EEO and Affirmative Action legislative and minimizes lawsuits allowing the company to evolve and reach its long-term goals. Diverse Customer Base: A diverse workforce appeals to a diverse customer base. Broadening customer base often brings more revenue. Variety of Viewpoints: A more diverse workforce brings more diverse ideas and experiences to the table. Diverse ideas can lead to an increase in creativity, innovation, and productivity. Ethical Consideration Currently, we are a company with a high-turnover rate, in an industry with a high-turnover rate. Over time application of our promotion policies have slowly diminished. Employee reviews are not conducted within a specified timeframe, if at all. Qualifications for promotions are not specific. Employees have different perspectives on performance expectations. It is critical for the promotion process to be fair, transparent, and systematic (Buzz, 2012). Not only is this illegal and can lead to discrimination claims but it is unfair and not motivating for the employees. I believe it is important for the strategic management planning process to implement fair and concise promotion processes because it is the key to advancing and retaining good employees. Retaining good employees leads to an increase in motivation and productivity. Proposed Action The first step is to publicize promotional openings so every employee is aware of advancement opportunities. Making this information available to everyone limits discrimination claims. The second step is to implement a strict employee review program. It is recommended to have a midyear meeting as well as an end of year review. The midyear meeting can address any issues or opportunities. Issues should be addressed regularly through the second half of the year. This is a time to be honest and ask the employee how they think they are doing, and any goals they may have for the next year. The end of the year review is to discuss compensation, bonuses, and promotion. There should be no surprises for the employee. The third step is to decide a specific salary increases guidelines for employees. Salary decisions must be based on performance and documented. Benefits Improve Employee Motivation- Motivation increases when opportunities are fairly distributed. Increase Productivity- Employees are more productive when challenged and financially rewarded. Lower Turnover- Employees tend to stay longer with a company they feel their efforts are recognized and advancement is available. Minimize Discrimination Suits – Closing It is my belief that making the aforementioned improvements are important to ABC Restaurant Pubs human resource management strategic planning process. Together the improvements will minimize legal issues, increase productivity, improve employee motivation, and diversify the customer base, all of which are important to develop a competitive advantage in the industry.

Nutrition Final Exam Study Guide Essay Example for Free

Nutrition Final Exam Study Guide Essay Understanding Disease Risk Factors Describe the differences between a chronic disease and infectious disease. What leading causes of death are nutrition-related? A) heart diseases, cancers, strokes, diabetes Describe the concept of a risk factor. A) Factors known to be related to diseases, but have not yet proven to be a cause. We say that a certain factor puts us at increased risk for a disease, but does not cause it. How does one use risk factors? Review the basics of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. Be ready to identify the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (especially diet-related risk factors!) A) High LDL blood cholesterol, low HDL blood cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, obesity (central obesity), physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, diet: high saturated or trans fats, low veggies, low fruits, low whole grains Describe the dietary strategies to reduce risk of CVD through diet. A) Decrease saturated and trans fat, increase soluble fiber intake, increase fruits and veggies, increase whole grains/ decrease refined grains, increase fish intake (2 servings/week) What is the TLC diet and what does it entail? A) TLC = Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes. From the NIH, designed to help decrease cholesterol through diet and lifestyle changes: the same changes we saw in table 11.6, also recommends 2 grams per day of plant sterols What do plant sterols have to do with high blood cholesterol? A) Plant sterols – the plant form of cholesterol. Slightly chemically different, prevent us from absorbing cholesterol in the intestines, currently only recommended for those with high cholesterol Weight Management What is meant by the concept of ‘energy balance’? A) Intake = output ïÆ'   weight maintenance Intake output ïÆ'   weight loss Intake output ïÆ'   weight gain What is the significance of BMI? See chart on page 3 of (Module 10 Part 1) What is the risk of being overweight or obese? What are the ranges of BMI? (Know the numbers. What is healthy? Underweight? Overweight?) A) Underweight 18.5 Normal = 18.5 – 24.9 Overweight = 25 – 29.9 Obese (class I) = 30 – 34.9 Obese (class II) = 35 – 39.9 Extremely obese (class III) 40 What are the alternatives to BMI for predicting health status? A) Men 12-20% ‘normal’, 5-10% for athletes, 22% 35%

Poverty, Social Exclusion and Discrimination in Wales

Poverty, Social Exclusion and Discrimination in Wales Wales is a diverse country with its own national identity, language and multicultural society, however Wales also has defined issues. Within the following assignment I plan to look at the impact of poverty, discrimination and social exclusion within Wales and the role of the social worker in addressing these issues. I will then explain the role of anti-oppressive practice in creating social inclusion. To understand the impact of poverty, discrimination and social exclusion I need to explain what is meant by these issues. People often think of poverty and social exclusion as a financial issue which affects people who are unemployed living on benefits but in reality it encompasses a far wider range of individuals (The Bevan Foundation 2009). Definitions of poverty, discrimination and social exclusion vary but I think the definition given by European Commission covers the wide spectrum of issues. It states: â€Å"People are said to be living in poverty if their income and resources are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living considered acceptable in the society in which they live. Because of their poverty they may experience multiple disadvantage through unemployment, low income, poor housing, inadequate health care and barriers to lifelong learning, culture, sport and recreation. They are often excluded and marginalised from participating in activities (economic, social and cultural) that are the norm for other people and their access to fundamental rights may be restricted.† Wales is the poorest country within the United Kingdom, due to the closure of much of its industry causing high unemployment, cuts in public spending, benefit changes and an aging population, it is thought that 600,000 approximately quarter of population live in poverty, even areas which are considered to be affluent are not as rich as many parts of the rest of the United Kingdom (Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2013). The Bevan Foundation defines groups of people within Wales who experience poverty, discrimination and social exclusion, these are ethnic minority groups, women, disabled people, children and young people and older people of pension age. The BBC news and save the children have states one in three children in Wales live in a home earning 60% lower than the average income across the United Kingdom which is  £26000, as a result Wales has some of the poorest families who have stated they regularly go without food to ensure their children are able to eat and are finding it hard to purchase basis such as shoes and a warm winter coat. Some welsh parents on a low income have stated they are regularly stressed about money which impacts on their relationship with their children, this can have lasting effects on the child. Children who grow up poor are more likely to leave school without qualifications, have fewer life experiences, reduced aspiration, restricted ability to get a good job and can lead to lifelong problems with their physical, mental condition leading to shortened lives. Many of these families find themselves in the continual cycle of poverty and social exclusion, for example a child raised in poverty is more l ikely to leave school with low or no qualifications, which reduces employment opportunities available to them, which leads to low income which could lead to them living and bringing up their children in poverty and the cycle begins once again. These issues are then compounded by the discrimination of wider society who often view people living in poverty as ‘scroungers’ living off the state, this fed by the media reporting on people claiming large amounts of benefits and shows such as Benefits Street which the minority of people when the reality many people living in poverty are often working. Poverty and social exclusion can be seen as an issue within large cities, there is a perception that only the rich live in rural areas, but these issues also affect Wales’s large rural areas. Pierson suggests exclusion within rural areas can be seen as an individual matter as people who currently living in poverty often live next door to someone whose home is their second or a multiple cars household, compared with people living in urban areas who live in socially deprived areas where their next door neighbour could be facing the same issues, taking this into account dealing with these issues could be harder to tackle. Pugh states it is often hard to recognising issues of social exclusion, poverty and discrimination within rural areas due to outsiders being unwelcome in smaller communities or due to the geographical areas of individuals. With the withdrawal or consolidation of services many services due to small amounts of people using them, many people are often left socially isolated. Pierson also suggests that people living in rural areas often face higher living expenses and they need to travel longer distances to purchases the basics. Young people living in poverty within rural areas often find themselves with low educational qualifications and a reduced or no opportunities for employment. Shucksmith suggests younger people and older people within rural areas often socialise more than in urban areas which can often influence their views on sexuality and social roles, this can cause discrimination or leave people unable to openly deal with l issues such as sexuality within the local community. Pugh states isolation within rural areas for people with mental health issues is often caused by peoples misunderstanding of their issues which can cause discrimination, people are often left not wanting to engage in communities where these views are present, this is often the views and experiences of homosexual men and women. There is often an assumption within the care sector in Wales that most welsh speakers have the ability to speak English and therefore are able to receive services in English. As a result some areas of social care sector there is little or no provision for services delivered via the medium of welsh. Section one of the code of conduct ‘1.6 states respecting diversity and different cultures and value’ by not providing services for a service user in welsh the social worker is failing to meet the needs of the service user which could result in disempowerment. Welsh Government states in More than Just Words ‘Many service users are very vulnerable, so placing a responsibility on them to ask for services through the medium of Welsh is unfair. It is the responsibility of service providers to meet these care needs. Organisations are expected to mainstream Welsh language services as an integral element of service planning and delivery’. Social workers continually addressing issues cause by social exclusion, discrimination and challenge them sensitively and constructively which is a fundamental part of their role. This is reflected in the code of practice written by the care council of Wales, throughout the code it states people must treat people as individuals and acknowledge peoples beliefs in cultures and values. The care worker must not: 5.5 Discriminate unlawfully or unjustifiably against service users, carers or colleagues 5.6 Condone any unlawful or unjustifiable discrimination by service users, carers or colleagues Thompson states the social worker must understanding and recognise the significance of discrimination and oppression in service users’ lives and circumstances. Discrimination occurs on 3 levels (PSC) which are interlinked, P refers to personal or psychological, this looks at the individual’s thoughts, feelings, attitudes and actions, thoughts about specific groups within society are often based on people’s individual experiences. C refers to someone’s culture which impacts on how people do, think or see things, culture can be very influential on what people see as the ‘norm’ within society. The final letter S refers to Structural levels this is social division and power within society. Honer states the social worker must also understand groups and individuals can face discrimination which can be very different and personal. The role of the social worker is multifunctional dealing with poverty, social exclusion and discrimination with emphasise on a holistic, citizen centred support which empowers people to take control of their lives while promoting social change (International Federation of social workers). Thompson sees empowerment on three different levels Personal, cultural, structural, I think this can also been seen with Dominelli as they state empowerment can be carries out on two levels. The micro level is the work the social worker carries out with the service user enabling them to take control of their lives, and the macro level is the work the social worker carries out within the wider community and challenging social policy by bring issues to the attention of relevant authorities or pressure groups, increasing the social and political power of groups which are oppressed. Unfortunately this can be lost within current targeted directed practice. People are encouraged to achieve their full pote ntial and promotes coping strategies to ensure people succeed. Pierson states when working with service users who are socially excluded, there are 5 building blocks required, maximising income and securing basic resources for service users and their families. The social worker needs to have a good understanding of the current benefits systems and keep up to date with any changes. Strengthening social supports and networks, working in partnership with agencies and local organisations, creating channels of effective participation for service users, local residents and their organisations. Focusing on neighbourhood and community level practice. Dominelli suggests creating power in oppressed groups by bring together people are oppressed by the same issues e.g. single mothers, and giving them the power to speak up together. Social workers have a responsibility of the law. The Equality Act 2010, The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Human Rights Act 1998 are pieces of legislation which a social worker is able to use to address issues of discrimination, including disability, sex, race and religion when services are withheld. Dominelli suggests oppression involves something which divides people into dominant or superior group and subordinate or inferior ones, this can result in the views and contribution of the oppressed being seen as invalid and the movements of the oppressed are often controlled by the dominate party. To address oppression the social worker must work in an anti-oppression way which rejects oppression and the way in which it disables individuals. Anti-oppressive practice holds the view each individual, group or community are diverse, equal and able to achieve their full potential and create social inclusion. To achieve social inclusion the social worker must work in partnership alongside the service user, family, local community and with organisations who are able to provide support, address highlighted needs from a clear assessment process in a holistic manner to empower them using strength based practise. The social worker also needs to create a clear plan with agreed objectives and time scales within a person centred framework with regular reviews. Dalrymple and Burke 2006 state: Anti-oppressive practice is based on the belief that social work should make a difference so that those who have been oppressed may regain control of their lives and re-establish their right to be full and active members of society. While promoting anti-oppressive practice it is important the social workers do not become accepting of any issues they continually deal with as there is a risk of seeing these issues as the norm when dealing with issues over a long period of time. Thompson also states the social worker must be aware of the power which can be held within the role and do not use this inappropriately when dealing with individuals who can be seen as being disadvantaged by their lack of power. The social worker must also ensure they do not reinforce any stereotypes or discriminatory roles such as people with a disability are unable to make choices for themselves or all women are responsible for childcare. As can be seen there are issues which affect Wales, as part of it role the welsh Government has created specific strategies to deal with the economic and social issues which affect Wales, such as The Welsh Government document Tackling Poverty Action Plan 2012-2016 which outlines how the Assembly aim to tackle the issue of poverty. The plan has 3 main areas prevention, helping people into work and Mitigating the impact of poverty. It is the role of the social worker to implement some parts of these strategies and instigate social change by empowering service users. The role of social work within Wales is continually evolving due to changes in Government policy and social change, with the promise of further powers for the Welsh Government the future holds possible further changes to the role.

Not Enough Time for Love Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare is a tragic story of two â€Å"star-crossed lovers† (prologue) fighting against time and their families for their love. This story is a prime example of what young couples should not do which is, fall in love to fast. Romeo and Juliet knew each other for less than a week when they fell in love and got married. Shakespeare used many instances of time and haste during this story. â€Å"The opening scene of the play establishes the pace at which tragic fate will unfold.† (Driver, 488). Romeo, who had just gotten dumped by Rosaline, was devastated. Then he met Juliet at a party and â€Å"No sooner does Romeo see Juliet than he falls in love with her.† (Shavi, 511). Later that evening Romeo met Juliet and she says she is in love with Romeo even though they know their families hate each other. â€Å" Their love is instant and mutual and before dawn they are betrothed.† (Shavi, 510). Three instan ces of time in haste in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet are: how quickly Romeo and Juliet fall in love, how quickly the pair married, and how quickly they die for each other. â€Å"Like all young people, Romeo and Juliet are uncertain and hasty in their first encounters with the problems of reality.† (Ribner, 474). Romeo and Juliet might have been in love, but they never had a chance to fully love one another, because they were together for only a short period of time. The only people that know about their love were the Nurse and Friar Lawrence. The nurse, who sided with Romeo and Juliet being together in the beginning, quickly changed her mind and told Juliet that she go ... ... each other. Second they know they would have tried to break the two up, which would have made them want to kill themselves, because they two constantly talked about dying for their love. Lastly the hatred between both families would have driven them apart because they would have gotten forbidden to see each other. As soon as the families found out about them, they realized there fighting was stupid and caused the death of their children. To sum up the whole story Romeo and Juliet’s love never had a chance because time was not on their side and neither were the two families. The young couple thought that everything would be solved if they hurried up and got married and that is what they did and it ended in disaster. This story, by William Shakespeare, is a perfect example of how falling in love quickly can be good in some instances and bad in others.

History Of Haiku :: essays research papers fc

In Japan, short poems have a long history. The earliest Japanese poetry such as that of the Manyoshu, written in 759 A.D., includes stirring narrative, dramatic and short lyrical poems which scholars believe were originally written as part of the pre-Buddhist or early Shinto ceremonial rituals (Haiku). This anthology includes anonymous songs and prayers designed to celebrate and pacify the gods, prayers for safe voyages, formal eulogies on the death of an Emperor or Empress and courting, marriage, planting and harvesting rituals. The 5 syllable, 7 syllable, 5 syllable haiku has evolved and been reinvented many times over the centuries. One such form is the 31 syllable waka composed of five 5-7-5-7-7 syllable phrases. Developed as the early imperial court of the late eighth century consolidated cultural, social and political forms, the waka took its place as one of the important regularized poetic forms of the period. Within imperial circles, minor officials and scribes gained recognition as poem-providers and word specialists due to their ability to compose waka (Haiku). Nevertheless, early Japanese poetry went beyond official usage. In the 14th century, an intellectual game developed where one person would write the first half of a waka-like poem, and another would complete it, adding the two 7-syllable stanzas.As many as four people took part in composing such poetry in what developed as a serious poetic form, with many complicated rules to ensure that the elegant court-poetry diction and aesthetic ideals were maintained. However, in large social gatherings where Japanese rice wine, or sake, was often served, participants became inebriated and started writing haikai, comic linked verse, which ignored many of the rules and allowed any subject matter at all, from the truly crude and erotic to pure slapstick, daffy comedy. According to Dr. Kerkham, it was this lower-level poetic form which Matsuna ga Teitoku, haikai master, tried to clean up and popularize and teach to his student Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). Basho's haiku, written while travelling around Japan, made him one of Japan's most celebrated poets.

Scandal at Abu Ghraib

The abuse scandal of prisoners at Abu Ghraib occurred during the Iraq war. From 2003 to 2006 AbuGhraib prison was a US Army detention center for captured Iraqis. An investigation into the treatment of detainees at the prison was prompted by the discovery of graphic photos depicting guards abusing detainees in 2003. The facility was located nearBaghdad on 280 acres. At the height of the scandal, the prison held up to 3,800 detainees.Most of the detainees lived in tents in the prison yards(CNN Library).Spec. Joe Darbywas a U.S. Army Reservist serving as a Military Police (M.P.) at the Abu Ghraib prison, when, in January of 2004 he blew the whistle on several of his colleagues that were involved in the abuse scandal. He said he received the now-notorious abuse photos on computer disks(CDs)from Cpl. Charles Graner at the beginning of December(Associated Press). He turned them over to the Army investigators Jan. 12, testifying that he knew Graner was a ringleader in the abuse and would be returning to the prison soon from another assignment.Darby was right in disclosing the abuse and blowing the whistle because the duty of preventionof further illegal abuse of prisoners by U.S. Army personnel outweighed any other duty or loyalty that he may have felt bound to. In addition, withholding evidence and knowledge of something as fundamentally wrong as torture could have led to more problems for Spec. Darby overall because the abuse could have escalated and eventually have been found outanyway. In James 2this case, justified legal action against him as a co-conspirator, for withholding evidence, and failure to disclose illegal activity could have been usedagainst him. Furthermore, feeling as distressed as he did about finding the photos of the abuse, living with the knowledge of having ignored inhumane acts performed by Army personnel could have led to tremendous psychological stress due to feelings of guilt. Why did Joe Darby wait several weeks to turn the CDs in? In a situation where whistleblowing becomes a very real possibility for someone, two, possibly more,loyalties start conflictingwithin the person having to decide on whether to blow the whistle or not,Most oftenthisis a conflict between a public or common moralinterestthat the actor feels he has to protectand hisfeeling of duty, commitment , and loyalty to an organization and/or one or several individuals. This conflict of loyalties can be agonizing for the potentialwhistleblowerbecause hewill havetodisregardone loyaltyin favor of another(both of which are of equal moral importance to him)if he blows the whistle.In Spec. Darby's case there were several conflicts. First, the loyalty to the institution of the Army;secondthe loyalty to his colleagues;third, public interest intheprevention of harm and illegal activities,and finally thefear of retaliation, the threat to his own person as well as his family. In one interview, about disclosing the abuse at Abu Ghraib, Darby is quoted assaying it was†the right decision and it had to be made†(Norris). While he was hailed as a hero by some, he was also facing a lot of opposition for his actions as a whistleblower. After returning to the U.S. he was placed in protective custodyfor an extended amount of time, and later had to move from his hometown to escape harassment and threats against him and his family. According to Kantian deontology, which is the best moral theory to apply here,Darby had a duty to blowthe whistlebecause the concept of duty is the essential or central point of James 3deontology, and rather than being worried about the consequences of an action, the important thing is the way actors think when they make choices.The act should come from respect for the moral law. The only inherently good thing, according to Kant, is the good will, and the will is good when one acts out of duty and not out of inclination (to gain something material or gain a feeling of self-satisfaction). Darby made the decision to blow the whistle for the sole reason of preventing further wrongdoing by fellow soldiers, and further harm to prisoners at Abu Ghraib. He acted out of good will; he had neither material gain nor did the act of whistleblowing make him feel good. He perceived it as his moral duty to disclose the information. While an opponent of whistleblowing may argue that deontology cannot justifyintroducing as universal law theexternal or public disclosure in all cases of alleged wrongdoing, it can be countered here that it is equally not justifiable to establish as a universal law for a person to keep quiet about knowledge of intentional wrongdoing forever or indefinitely. Additionally, the duty to blow the whistle,as suggested bydeontology,is already being upheld in several professions, and in many of the States.For example,teachers,and physicians are required to report suspicions of abuse, nurses are required to report mistakes in the medical treatment of patients, and thereare laws that punish the failure to report a felonyin numerous states. Even in the Military there are clauses that obligate a soldier to refuse an order that is not legal. These are all examples of deontological theory supporting whistleblowing as the duty of a good citizen. While blowing the whistle externally is still often a controversial concept, internal whistleblowing has long been encouraged or been made obligatory by management in corporatecodes of ethics (Paddget). Considering that many U.S. soldiers were in the explicit pictures that were taken of the abuse, one stands to reasonably pose the question if Darby was the only person who was James 4disturbed by the actions of the soldiers involved in the torture of detainees. Spec. JeremySivits, who is also mentioned in case 6.2, was the first soldier to be tried. In his defense, his attorney insisted that Sivits was merely following orders, as he had been trained, to photograph the abuse. He claimed that followingorders was the right thing to do for Sivits(Clancy, Vaught and Solomon). This defense did not hold up in court, and Jeremy Sivits was tried and convicted, possibly because his invoking the defense of obedience was flawed. â€Å"Strict† obedience, which is what Sivits obedience to superiors essentially was, cannot excuse participation in a case involving unlawful actions as using torture and abuse on detainees of the U.S. Army. The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) 809[890]. ART.90(20), makes it clear that military personnel need to obey the â€Å"lawful command of his superior officer,† 891.ART.91 (2), the â€Å"lawful order of a warrant officer†, 892.ART.92 (1) the â€Å"lawful general order†, 892.ART.92 (2) â€Å"lawful order†. In each case, military personnel have an obligation and a duty to only obey lawful orders and indeed have an obligation to disobey Unlawful orders, including orders by the president that do not comply with the UCMJ. The moral and legal obligation is to the U.S. Constitution and not to those who would issue unlawful orders, especially if those orders are in direct violation of the Constitution and the UCMJ (Mosqueda).

George Orwell’s 1984 and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Imagine this, a perfect world of complete harmony and justice. There is no wrong, and there is no right. There is only utopia. It might be the perfect place where people want to live, or the place that people dream about. It might even be the picture of the future. However, this Utopian world is revealed to have flaws. It lacks many of the qualities of life that exist today. Thus the Utopian world isn’t so Utopian anymore. And the more that is revealed about the world, the more horrible it becomes. Soon, it becomes a nightmare, a world of illusions, of lies. That is the dystopic world that authors such as Bradbury and George Orwell pictures in their books, a world that exists under the image of utopia, and yet to the reader seems like a foreign, inhumane residence dominated by an all-powerful government. George Orwell’s 1984, and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 depicts two different dystopic worlds. The settings of both books are different and the characters are unique; however, both of these books are also very similar. 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 are similar dystopic literatures by a common theme of censorship in which the government withholds or censors information, by a similar thread of a totalitarian government running the dystopic world, and by a common knowledge of the truth that the protagonist and the antagonist both hold. Censorship is a remarkable simple concept: the ability of the government to withhold or change information that passes into the public. All governments have some form of censorship, and some governments have less censorship than others. Yet censorship can also become a difficult concept to grasp, for censorship allows the government to influence how people think. The less censorship there is, the more people begin to think, which according to standards today, is a good thing. However, totalitarian governments such as the ones in Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 do not want people to think. They want people to just do, and thus it becomes a perfect seemingly Utopian world that the reader interprets as a piece of dystopic literature. In Fahrenheit 451, Beatty explains, † Colored people don’t like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it† (pp.59). Beatty is declaring that there are many minorities as well as distinct groups of people. A perfect world must satisfy all of them, so if a book comes up that someone doesn’t like, burn it. However, burning is a permanent  process. A burned book cannot be recovered. Thus, as more books are burned, more history, information is being erased. People’s minds begin to dull from lack of reading and in the end; people accept the fact that the government controls them and their actions. Similarly, a quote from 1984 explains, â€Å"The messages he had received referred to articles or news items which for one reason or another it was thought necessary to alter, or†¦rectify†¦It was therefore necessary to rewrite a paragraph of Big Brother’s speech†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (38, 39). In this quote, Winston works in the Ministry of Truth to change the information that reaches the public. This is also censorship in order to keep the proles, the majority of the population, ignorant. By changing the information, there is no proof that people have against the validity of the government, and therefore people are sedated. In a similar way to Fahrenheit 451, the people come to gradually accepting the censored documents that reach them. They could take one fact one day, and the completely opposite fact another. Thus when the two books of dystopic literature are compared, the similar motif of censorship can be seen to play a huge part in the way the world runs. The government utilizes censorship while the common people accept it. When the reader sees this, it imparts a sense of horror in the seemingly Utopian world, and thus makes the two pieces of literature dystopic. Another aspect that connects the two pieces of literature together is the idea of a totalitarian government ruling the people. In both works, the government creates the sense of a utopian world. The idea is that the government rules every aspect of the people’s lives, and that is the only way for a utopia to exist. This way of thinking is also twisted in a sense, because totalitarian governments do not care for the well being of its people. The people who rule only want power. That is why the reader realizes that the piece of literature is dystopic. In Fahrenheit 451, the totalitarian government controls the police, mechanical hounds, and the firemen. The firemen act under the wishes of the government to burn people’s books. An explanation of the firemen is revealed in Beatty’s quote, † †¦there was no longer need of firemen for the old purposes. They were given the new job, as custodians of out peace of mind, the focus of our understandable and rightful dread of being inferior: official censors, judges, and executors.  That’s you, Montag, and that’s me† (58, 59). Beatty is explaining the reason that governments created firemen to burn books. The government can censor information that the public receives with the creation of the firemen, and it is the job to the people and the firemen to do their duties without question. That illustrates the totalitarian government in the society of Fahrenheit 451. In 1984, the totalitarian government is led by a figure, Big Brother. The Inner Party and the Outer Party are also part of the totalitarian government, only consisting of 15% of the population of Oceania. These people in the Inner and Outer Parties, with the exception to Winston, are devoted to Big Brother. Big Brother is the figure that holds the party and utopian society together, and the propaganda and demonstrations center around the totalitarian form of government. What is really scary about the totalitarian society is that when someone goes against protocol, like Winston did, he/she was not executed immediately. Instead, they are made to love the totalitarian society and show devotion towards it. Then they are killed. This is illustrated in the quote, † He looked up again at the portrait of Big Brother†¦the final, indispensable, healing change had never happened, until this moment†¦ The long-hoped-for bullet was entering his brain†¦ He loved Big Brother† (297). Winston was tortured at the Ministry of Love in order to love Big Brother. The government never killed him, and finally at the end, Winston loved Big Brother and was finally in bliss. This shows the horrors of the government. The government has total control over the people, and no one can escape from committing a crime against the government. The government will always and forever be. That is one of the reasons why the piece of literature is considered dystopic. It is also a reason why 1984 is a powerful book and serves as a warning to the readers. In conclusion, a similar aspect of both dystopic literatures is the totalitarian form of government in both. That type of government holds the Utopian society together, and it is precisely that aspect that horrifies the reader and makes both pieces of literature dystopic. A final point that both Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 have in common is that the protagonist as well as the antagonist who know the truth about the type of society they live in. Unlike the common people, the protagonist realizes that the world they live in is not perfect. The majority of people are content with their society, but Winston, in 1984, and Montag, in Fahrenheit 451, realizes that there could be so much more in the world that they live in. Montag discovers the truth and knowledge that the burned books contain. Montag shows curiosity for books by saying, † There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing† (51). Montag shows interest at books because he saw a woman voluntarily burn herself alongside her books. Thus he reasoned that books must contain substance. It also illustrates that Montag is a flaw to the perfect Utopian society. Even his wife shows little care for books or the fact that a woman was burned with her books. However, Montag starts to glimpse the imperfect society he lives in. Winston is also unhappy with how the government is and especially because of how there is little or no privacy. He is driven with the dreams and hopes of a better place, a better government in which to live in. He demonstrates this by writing in a diary, which was against the rules of the government. He also rebels in a sense by writing in the diary, † DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER† (20). Another connection that is shared by Montag and Winston is that both their wives illustrated the perfect form of beings in the society. Winston even stated that he hated his wife because she really didn’t have a mind of her own. This showed that there were only few people in the Utopian society that realized the society and government for what it was, and that the society was terrible. The antagonists also know the truth of the world they live in. In Fahrenheit 451, the antagonist is Beatty, who has read many books himself. He is very knowledgeable and uses literature to confuse Montag. In the end, the reader gets a sense of Beatty wanting Montag to kill him in order to be free of the acts he is committing and the government he is in. Beatty provokes and pushes Montag to kill him by saying, † Go ahead now, you second-hand litterateur, pull the trigger† (119). Although it doesn’t state clearly in the book that Beatty wanted Montag to kill him, it is one way of viewing this matter. In a similar way, O’Brien is the antagonist of 1984. During the part when he interrogated Winston, the reader learns that O’Brien is really  with Big Brother, and he has accepted the fate and results of the current government a long time ago. He even admits that he wants power and control. O’Brien proves both these facts by stating, â€Å"They got me a long time ago† (239), and, â€Å"The party seek power entirely for its own sake†¦It is exactly the opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined† (263, 267) O’Brien admits to siding with the current totalitarian government, but also admitting that the current society is flawed and grants power to a select few, at the cost of the other 85% of the population. Thus, the two pieces of literature also share the fact that the protagonists and antagonists know the whole, or part, truth. It is these connections that bring together these two books written about dystopic literature. And to conclude, Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 are both pieces of dystopic literature. Both have many aspects in common. Although the two books are unrelated to each other in the sense of characters and the setting, both illustrate a dystopic world and give similar reasons and ideas about such a world. Both books illustrate how censorship can be used to control the people under the influence of the government. The books also reveal the necessity for a totalitarian government in order for the world to be a utopia and yet to the reader, dystopic. Finally, both pieces of literature show that there are flaws to this type of world to the protagonist as well as the antagonist in it. However, the way that the authors illustrate the outcome of the protagonist and antagonist is different. In George Orwell’s cruel dystopic world, the protagonist loses all hope and loves Big Brother at the end. In Bradbury’s dystopic world, Montag retains the hope that with his knowledge of books, humans can one day dispel the cruelty and censorship of the totalitarian government. While Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 can be read and just taken as a fantasy, a book that illustrates what could have happened, but did not. However, the authors of these books did not intend them to be simply read and discarded. What the author wants to impart to the reader is a warning. The warning is that in the future, the world that humans live in might one day mirror the world created by Bradbury or Orwell. If there is one thing for certain, it is a threat that the current world will reflect a world in Fahrenheit 451 or  1984. After all, humankind is evolving with swiftness, and anything can happen. There are many televisions in the world. Only one more step to make them all interact with each other and transmit/receive images, and the telescreens in 1984 exist. Sound, which is a predominant part of the utopian world, is taking up people’s time and thoughts in the real world. With all of the MP3’s and all of the other music tools that people constantly listen to, life indeed is starting to mirror the worlds of Orwell and Bradbury. Finally, people go at a quicker and faster pace now. Eventually, there will be a point where people have to stop and think about what is truly happening around them and to think about nature. If this does not happen, then indeed the world will be thrust into an unending cycle of chaos, and some may call it utopia when that happens. When a government arises to take power without the question or consent of the people, then is it utopia, or chaos and slavery? Bibliography Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1953. Orwell George. 1984. New American Library, NY, 1949.

British and Chinese Contemporary Media

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and China Central Television (CATV) are the two popular media owning millions of audiences in the world. For years, they have been making efforts to adopt new technology, new techniques and new means for developing high standard programmer. However, mainly due to different social structures and different cultural background between China and the I-J, the BBC and CATV also have several differences in governors, funding resources and channel designs. In this essay, the background of the BBC and CATV will be briefly introduced, allowed by an analysis of their similarities and differences.The BBC is the main public service broadcaster in the ASK. It was formed in October 1922 by a group of leading wireless manufacturers (History of the BBC, 2005). Currently, the Corporation comprises 9 1-J-wide Television Channels (See Appendix 1) and 10 1-J-wide Radio Stations. With its vision as to be the most creative, trusted organization in the world, the B BC provides a wide range of distinctive programmer and services for its viewers and listeners (Purpose and Values, 2005). CATV which was established in 1958, is the national TV network of the People'sRepublic of China. Presently, CATV has 16 channels broadcasting various programmer (See Appendix 2). The coverage of CATV-I reaches over 94. 4% of the total population of China, with the number of viewers exceeding 1. 15 billion (Profile CATV, 2005). The corporation has been serving as a window for Chinese people to understand the world better and for the world to get a better understanding of China. As the two authoritative media in the world, the BBC and CATV have made enormous contribution to people's life and cultures. There are some similarities in them.Firstly, tooth of them provide a comprehensive rage of programmer analogously or digitally in order to satisfy the needs of their users. Besides, with the development of modern technology, they are trying to use internet to propagan dist their programmer. Both of them have their own websites containing various contents such as programmer schedules, news, and contact methods. In addition, they also respect their users. Both of them are glad to listen to public comments and regularly consult users in order to improve their work. However, the two media also have some differences.First of all, CATV is run by the central government of the People's Republic of China. On the other hand, the Bib's activities are currently governed by a Royal Charter – a document that shapes the BBC, defining its objectives and functions. It is supported by the Agreement between the BBC and the Government, which sets out how the BBC will meet its general obligations, the services it will provide, and the standards it will meet (Your BBC Your Say, 2005). Whereas CATV serves its political role first, the BBC tends to represent the public interest and be free of political bias.Furthermore, CATV is mainly funded by advertisements, wh ereas the BBC is funded by public subscription in the form of a License fee. CATV viewers do not need to pay for its programmer, but they need to watch a lot of advertisements during programmer. Advertisements during golden time such as the time after the CATV News help CATV generate huge amounts of revenues. According to the latest data, CATV gained 8. 5 billion ARM from advertisements in 2005 (Profile CATV, 2005). The BBC, on the other hand, obtains its revenues mainly from license payers.It received EH,940 million in science fees in the latest audited financial year 2004/2005 (Annual report 2004/05, 2005). The license fee guarantees that a wide range of high quality programs can be made available unrestricted to everyone and helps support production skills, training, and local or minority programmer (Plans, Policies and Reports, 2005). Besides, the absence of commercial pressures allows programmer planners to be in direct contact with the needs and expectations of the general pub lic (Christopher 1999, p. 106).A majority of the BBC users prefer paying license fees rather than itching advertisements, and over 52% of users surveyed held the opinion that the BBC would lose its independence if it relied on advertising or sponsorship (Review of the Bib's Royal Charter: A strong BBC, independent of government, 2005). Because of this distinguishing characteristic, compared with CATV, BBC may care more about license payers when deciding its future, and could be more independent of commercial interests. Although both the BBC and CATV are providing a wide rage of programmer for audiences, they still differ in the TV channel designs.It seems that CATV focuses such on the status of the audiences. For instance, it launches three international channels in four languages for foreigners and oversea Chinese. In contrast, the BBC lays stress on viewers' life cycle. It designs channels according to different age groups: Scabbiest is for children under the six, CAB is for child ren from six to twelve, BBC 3 is for youth from 16 to 34, and News 24 focuses on audiences above 55 (Yang, 2004). The difference in channel designs shows the different strategies in their market segmentations, which may be resulted by different roles they play and efferent users they face.

The Great Panda

The giant panda, which lives only in China outside of captivity, has captured the hearts of people of all ages across the globe. From their furry black and white body to their shy and docile nature, they are considered one of the most loved animals. ? Quick Fact The estimated number of giant pandas in the wild varies between 1,500 and 3,000. Intriguing Giant Panda Mysteries While most adore their fluffy fur and round head, which help give them their cuddly bear quality, others are fascinated by the many mysteries of the giant panda.Did you know that a giant panda may actually be a raccoon, they have an opposable pseudo thumb, and they’re technically a carnivore even though their diet is primarily vegetarian? These things and more have baffled scientists and naturalists for hundreds of years. Opposable Pseudo Thumb A characteristic of the giant panda that has mystified scientists is their movable, elongated wrist bone that acts like an opposable thumb. This human-like quality t hat helps give them an even more cuddly-bear appearance enables the giant panda to pick up objects and even eat sitting up.Quick Fact Giant pandas have five clawed toes and one pseudo thumb. Their pseudo thumb, along with pads of skin, help the giant panda strip the more nutritious small bamboo shoots and leaves while they hold the stalk in their mouth. Small Bear or Large Raccoon? Giant pandas are generally referred to as bears and are typically called panda bears rather than giant pandas. Though we may think they look like bears, there has been a great deal of discussion for decades about where giant pandas actually fit in the animal kingdom.Much of the debate has been whether they are more closely related to the red panda, once thought to be a member of the raccoon family, than the bear family. While a giant panda has a body that resembles a small bear and climbs trees like a bear, it also has several characteristics in common with the red panda. For example, both giant pandas an d red pandas eat bamboo and have the same pseudo thumb. The table below lists the main characteristics the giant panda shares with the bear and red panda.Cat-like features While the body of a giant panda looks like that of a bear and the dark circles around its eyes resemble those of a red panda or raccoon, its pupils have vertical slits like the eyes of a cat. Â  DNA results DNA analysis has put one mystery to rest. It has revealed that while the red panda is a distant relative, the giant panda's closest relative is the spectacled bear from South America. Mostly Vegetarian Diet Giant pandas love bamboo!In fact, their diet is 99% bamboo. Along with bamboo, they eat other plants, small rodents, and occasionally fish. The mystery behind their diet is they have the digestive system of a carnivore. ? Their ability to digest bamboo is attributed to tiny microbes that live within their digestive system. Since they can only digest about 20% of what they eat, the average giant panda consum es around 14 kilograms (30 pounds) of bamboo a day. In comparison, humans eat about 2 kilograms (5 pounds) of food a day. This enormous diet means the giant panda spends more than 12 hours a day eating to stay nourished.Quick Fact As the seasons change, the giant panda prefers different species and parts of bamboo. Tiny Cubs An infant giant panda cub is about the size of a croissant, weighs less than a coffee cup, and is about 900 times smaller than its mother. An average adult mother weighs around 91 kilograms (200 pounds) while a newborn weighs only 83 to 190 grams (3 to 4 ounces). Other Fun Giant Panda Facts Researchers have recently discovered the gene responsible for tasting savory or umami flavors, such as meat, is inactive in giant pandas.For many centuries, giant pandas were thought to be a mythical creature, similar to a dragon or unicorn. Unlike other bears in the region, giant pandas don’t hibernate. Giant pandas can stand erect on their hind legs but rarely walk. The Qinling panda, another giant panda species with a dark brown and light brown coat, lives only in the mountains of Shaanxi. Giant pandas have very sensitive hearing and smell, but they have poor eyesight. A newborn giant panda is blind and looks like a tiny, pink, hairless mouse.

A theoretical element of media violence

A theoretical element of media violence Various hypotheses have been offered to describe processes of influence which violent TV might have on childrens behavior. All I can do here is to refer to some of these proposed processes briefly. No single process is likely to offer an adequate explanation. Short-Term Influences Modeling/Imitation: Social learning theorists (such as Bandura) emphasize the observational learning of particular kinds of aggression from a model. Those who employ this argument see film and TV characters as models from whom children learn behavior which may be imitated in everyday life. Unless they had seen the film The Deer Hunter the American teenagers who killed themselves with randomly loaded revolvers (as in the films grisly game of Russian roulette) might not have done so. In such cases, simple imitation of media violence is widely cited as the reason for the violent behavior. Symbolic Modelling is a variation on this process, whereby watching violent programmes may be a factor in encouraging violent behavior which is not directly imitated but which has been generalized from the specific behavior demonstrated in the media. Identification In another modified version of the imitation theory, it is argued that viewers tend to adopt the aggressive behavior of characters only if they identify with them and if the characters behavior is seen to be justified. Obviously, people are more likely to imitate the behavior of an attractive model than a less attractive one, and empathy is likely to heighten this tendency. Vicarious Reinforcement: If violence is reinforced by being seen to pay off for the aggressor this may promote its acceptability to the viewer compared with violence which is punished or unproductive. We have already referred to one such example in one of the Bandura studies. Both vicarious reinforcement and identification may mean that aggression by goodies can be more of a problem with children than that of baddies. Criticism of aggressive acts either within the programme itself or by co-viewers tends to reduce imitation by children. Perceived Reality: Another variation of modeling which lacks an agreed label is imitation subject to the degree of perceived reality. Some studies (eg Feshbach 1976) have shown cartoon violence to have a less negative influence on childrens behavior than more realistic violence. Instigation/Arousal According to this variation on modeling, those who are already in a state of high emotional or physiological arousal (which may itself have been influenced by TV) are more likely to engage in aggressive behavior in response to watching a violent incident on TV than are others. Leonard Berkowitz found that if viewers of a violent film were made angry or frustrated before they watched it, they expressed more aggression than those who were not already angry or frustrated. We may also note that heavy viewers tend to be less emotionally aroused by violent TV itself than do light viewers (Gunter McAleer, 1990). Related to the influence of arousal, some commentators refer to reinforcement in a general sense, meaning that TV violence has relatively little independent influence on behavior, but tends to reinforce any aggressive attitudes and behavior which may already exist. Some also refer to this as pre observation reinforcement. The more general argument of reinforcement is that the more aggressive tendencies are reinforced in this way, the more likely it will be that they will produce aggressive behavior. Sensitization is a sort of reverse modeling, whereby viewers react so strongly to some extreme example of realistic violence that they are less likely to imitate it. Ethical considerations mean that its not much studied. Where viewing of violence is light sensitization may be more likely than desensitization. Catharsis (or symbolic catharsis): As we have seen, Seymour Feshbach (1955; Feshbach Singer, 1971) has argued (rather differently from all the varieties of modelling theory) that fantasy violence can have a cathartic effect on viewers, defusing latent aggression, and reducing the possibility of aggressive behaviour. People often report feeling better after watching a really scary film. Note that this theory, which suggests that aggressive behavior television may not have harmful effects, is often si ngled out for an attack, as in the case of the study already referred to by Feshbach and Singer. A serious objection, though, is that the content of TV programmes may be partly responsible for any pent-up aggression or anxieties in the first place! Certainly, theres no doub that TV characters enter into childrens dreams, and TV-inspired fantasies may not only inspire nightmares but may also perform a valuable role in developing defenses against the real or imagined vulnerability. Another version of catharsis theory is that watching violent programmes decreases levels of arousal, leaving viewers less prone to aggressive behavior. Longer Term Influence Disinhibition This related theory formerly advanced by Leonard Berkowitz suggests that people are naturally aggressive, but that they normally repress this aggression. Heavy viewing of violent TV weakens their inhibitions and leads them to feel that aggression is acceptable. Desensitization The notion of desensitization involves the argument that heavy viewing of violent TV over time conditions viewers gradually to accept violence as normal, dulling their sensitivity to aggressive behavior in everyday life. The conditions of ordinary TV viewing may encourage us to relax and enjoy violent images. Arousal declines as the viewing of violence becomes routinized. Drabman Thomas (1984) found that children of 8 to 10 shown a video of aggressive behavior took longer to intervene in apparently real-life violence between two younger children they were left in charge of than children who had not seen the video. However, such studies are still artificially lab-based and do not explore childrens own thoughts and feelings. The origin of such theories is again in the behaviouristic tradition of behavior modification. Observations suggesting densitization may, in fact, have been observing the development of childrens defenses against anxiety. TV viewing may influence not only behavior but also attitudes and beliefs Value Reinforcement: Whilst this doesnt have a technical label, this refers to the theory that TV programmes may reinforce certain values about the use of violence (rather than directly influencing behavior). Programmes where violence is used frequently to settle disputes reinforce the value that aggressive behavior is acceptable. Cultivation Theory: George Gerbner and his colleagues in the USA argue that the most significant effects of TV violence are ideological rather than behavioral. Gerbner sees TV as a modern opiate of the people, serving as a tranquilizer which legitimates the current social order. He has shown that there is a correlation between TV viewing and viewers estimations of the frequency of violence in the everyday world. Heavy viewers are more likely to mistrust other people and to experience fear and insecurity, and therefore to support stronger forms of policing and social control. However, Gerbner makes no allowance for the variety of individual interpretations or for the kind of programmes involved. It may be that more fearful people are drawn to watching more TV. And other social and personality factors may counter such cultivation.